Demon's Descendent
by ZoologyKaM
Summary: When Souta meets a young girl claiming to be the descendent of Kagome and Inuyasha, and holds the Tetsaiga in her hands, he can't help but believe her. A new demon threatens the present and a familiar fox is brought along for the ride. Find out what Souta does, when demons make a comeback in the modern world. [Rewrite in progress]
1. Descended from a Demon

**_A/N: _**_Hey there people! Welcome to my first fanfic ever! Now I know that sounds weird since I have 20+ other fics on this site but this was indeed my first. I'm currently in the effort of rewriting some of the early chapters. After which I am hoping to continue this where I left off. I've finished a few of my Invader Zim fics that had kept me away from this, though since school is busy, and I do have a few other fics left, chapters may be slow. _

**_To get me to write faster:_**_ Leave reviews! _

_I write faster when I know people care about the story. Right now I've got two stories competing for my attention with around 4-5 reviews per chapter. Since I am really interested in finishing this story I'm willing to work on chapters with 2-3 reviews here, but if I get 0 reviews on a chapter there is a chance I might wait a few months to even look back at it. _

**_Long story short:_**_More reviews = faster chapters._

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**Chapter 1 –Descended from a Demon**

"Hey Souta, you've got a hot sister don't you?" Souta Higurashi looked back at his friend as they made their way home from school. His friend smirked and nudged him with his elbow, "you should introduce me," he said.

"Nee-chan isn't here." Souta's face was serious and he tried not to let his feelings show, "right after graduating high school she went to get married." They were close to the stairs to his family shrine. Souta ran up ahead when he saw his grandpa. His friends just stared after him, now of the opinion that he had a yankee sister. "How'd your check up at the hospital go?"

Grandpa tapped his cane on the ground looking annoyed, "My uric acid levels were a bit high."

"hey Souta we'll see yah later." His friends called out to him.

"Okay, see you." He waved back then concentrated on helping his grandpa up the long flight of stairs to the shrine. Upon reaching the top they were surprised to see a visitor waiting there. "Hello there," said Souta. "Did you come to visit the shrine? I can show you around if you would like."

The girl turned to face them. She looked to be about Souta's age, a few centimeters taller, with silver hair that reached to her mid-back. Her jeans looked worn and the left sleeve of her T-shirt had a tear across it. She reached up and pulled down the brim of her hat, hiding her face, and asked "This is the Higorashi shrine right? Is there a Kagome here?"

Souta turned to his grandpa, "Why don't you go inside and rest." Grandpa agreed and headed inside. Souta tucked his hands in his pockets and smiled back at the girl, "I'm sorry my sister left a few weeks ago and won't be coming back. Did you need her for something?"

At this, the girls face darkened. "Drat. I'm too late. She's already back in the feudal era isn't she?"

"Feudal era?" Souta was shocked. _How can this girl know about my sister's travels into the past? Who is she?_

Guessing what Souta was thinking the girl gave a smile under her hat. "My name is Kira. I guess you could say I'm a distant relative. You're Souta-kun right? Kagome-sosen's1 brother?"

"Well yes I ..."

"Oh good, have you ever heard of someone named Inuyashsa," Kira just blurted out completely cutting him off, "because here's the thing, I need to find someone that can tell me about this sword. It's called the Tetsaiga. I can tell you its story but it's a pretty long one. So would you mind if we went inside to talk?"

Souta's mind was spinning. Not only does this girl know about Kagome's trip to the past but she claims to be holding Inuyasha's sword Tetsaiga in her hands. Souta had seen for himself once the power of the Tetsaiga, and he didn't really think it was something a human should be carrying around.

"Umm, yeah sure. Let's…" The air all around them froze.

"Damit! I didn't think it'd catch up so fast." Kira whipped around pulling a second wooden sword off her back. "Oi! Souta! Unless you got some spiritual powers I would suggest you run inside."

Even with her warning, Souta found himself frozen to the spot. _What's this horrible feeling? It's like I can feel a powerful hatred._ A drop of sweat ran down his face and he was finding it hard to breathe.

Kira saw this and swore under her breath. Protecting herself was one thing, but… "Shit! Souta Move!" With no choice, she grabbed Souta's arm and dragged him running behind her. "Wake up! You got any talismans or sutra's here?"

Her yell was enough to pull him partially out of his state of shock. "Uh yeah there's some in the shed."

"Go there now!" She yelled and shoved Sota to keep him running but stopped herself, to face the shadow which followed them. "I'm not going to let you break the seal so you can forget about getting this sword!" She held her wooden sword in practiced hands, and yelled.

The shadow's voice was eerie and high pitched, "Hehe, I was hoping you would say that. It will be all that much more worth it when I free my brothers and can hand them the corpse of that cursed woman's descendant."

Souta knew he had left Kira in danger but he didn't know what from; either way he'd better hurry. He threw open the door to the storage shed. If only he'd been more active with helping Grandpa with the shrine. It took 5 boxes before he managed to find some sutras. He couldn't read what was written on them, and not knowing what might be useful, he grabbed a couple different kinds.

Racing back he saw Kira fending off a massive snake. Kira and the demon exchanged a few blows while Souta stood there stupidly, not knowing what to do. Kira struck the snake on top of the head and made a jab at the snake's eye, but the demon was fast. It dodged the jab and lunged in fangs bared to take a bite out of Kira.

The air crackled and sparked as the sutra thrown by Souta took its effect. The snake caught fire and fled knocking down Kira in the process. Souta ran to her side. "Are you alright?" he asked. He was pretty shaken up himself; but not enough that he would fail to notice two white dog ears poking out from the top of Kira's head.

Kira's hat had fallen off. Her ears looked exactly like Inuyasha's were all those years ago. Kira got up brushed herself off and went to retrieve her hat. "Try not to be too scared," she said brushing the dirt off her hat. "We still need to talk about this sword."

XXX

"Here's some tea for you both." Souta's Okaa-san set down the tray on the table and headed back to the kitchen.

"Domo Arigatou Ma'am." Kira took a sip of the tea and looked around the room. "So this is where Kagome-sosen grew up. Kinda strange."

"What's so strange about it?" Souta demanded. Kira had yet to explain anything to him and he was feeling a little less than patient to hear about his sister; not to mention the giant snake that had attacked them.

Kira ducked her head, "Ah.. no.. that's not what I meant. I just mean it's weird to think that a famous priestess of the past grew up here in the present." Clearing her throat she continued, "Ok so what all do you know about Kagome-sosen's time in the feudal era?"

Sota sighed and stared out the window. "I know that she was traveling with Inuyasha, a monk, a demon slayer, and two other demons in order to recover shards of the Sacred Jewel which my sister broke. I know that they were collecting them to defeat a demon called Naraku." He remembered the time that a demon had come after the Sacred Jewel and he and his sister had been forced to flee until Inuyasha came to rescue them. The memory made his heart race.

Taking a calming breath Souta continued. "Three years ago when the shrine's well, which was the portal between now and the past, suddenly vanished. After three days it and my sister returned. Inuyasha went back to the past and until 5 weeks ago the pathway to the past was closed off. When it opened again my sister went back into the past to stay there. She told us they had defeated Naraku and the Jewel was gone forever. But other than that she wouldn't tell us what had happened during those three days."

Kira stopped sipping her tea and looked up. "Ok so you only know the basics. Do you know about the sword Tetsaiga?"

Sota glanced down. The sword was sitting on the table, carefully sheathed with a sutra and chains holding the sword in place. The sheath and the hilt looked old and beaten. Nothing like he remembered it, a powerful sword that grew to an enormous size and could send out a wave of energy to slice through its target.

"The Tetsaiga is Inuyasha's sword. He unsheathes it, and it grows really big," said Souta indicating with his arms fully extended. "I saw Inuyasha use it twice; once when a demon mask attacked us, and then another time at my Onee-chan's school. He used an attack he called the Windscar. It sent out a slash of light that cut right through the demons."

Kira looked fascinated at this. "You're kidding?! That's what the Windscar was? I thought it was just a sword technique that Inuyasha used. But you're saying it was actually a release of demonic energy." She stared at the sword for a moment. "Do you know anything about its history? The records only tell us that it was first forged for Inuyasha's father, and after his death it was passed down to Inuyasha."

"Sorry." Souta shook his head. "Sis told me that it was broken once and they used one of Inuyasha's fangs to repair it and because of that he had some trouble wielding it. But other than that." He shrugged. He had never heard anything about Inuyasha's family other than that he had a half-brother who was full demon.

Kira looked down at the sword again, her face showing her disappointment.

After a few minutes Souta couldn't stand the silence anymore. "Look can you please explain to me how you got that sword?" He was trying to hide his impatience, but knew he was failing.

"It's an old family heirloom." Kira explained, "It has been passed down for generations along with a written log about Kagome-sosen and Inuyasha-sosen. I'll explain everything but don't interrupt if there is some inaccuracy in this, ok?" Souta nodded. It would be interesting to hear what the history books thought of his sister.

"The record tells us that at the age of 14, Kagome-sosen traveled back from a faraway land to return a powerful jewel, called the Shikon no Tama, to the safety of a shrine. While guarding it there a powerful demon came and stole it. For 2 years Kagome-sosen, and Inuyasha-sosen traveled around searching for the jewel and the demon that stole it. They found and fought with the demon several times during their journey."

Souta nodded, he knew was true. Kagome had come back several times with more bruises than he had ever seen. During these times she had only told them that they were getting closer to recovering the Sacred Jewel and that they shouldn't worry. Of course this had only made her family worry more.

"At the end of their journey after they had defeated the demon, Kagome-sosen decided the jewel wouldn't be safe anywhere in the world. She returned to her home to destroy it. After which, it took three years for her to find her way back."

Kira looked up at Souta. "So I assume we're caught up with the present now. Or... umm… the present as how it connects to the past. Wow time travel is confusing." Kira laughed and scratched her cheek.

A thought occurred to Souta. "Hang on… You said she traveled from far away. So how did you know that she was actually traveling back in time?"

Reaching into her bag, Kira pulled out a glass frame with a piece of old parchment inside. It looked like a family tree. She handed it to Souta and pointed at a pair of names. The names were Inuyasha and Kagome. "If you look below you'll see the date they lived. Kagome-sosen's begins just 18 years ago but her death is listed in the feudal era." Souta continued to study the parchment as Kira explained. "Many of my family through the years thought it was a mistake and looked to change it but someone else always objected and it was never changed."

The document was aged and after a few more moments, she pulled it out of Souta's hands to return it carefully to her bag. "Well anyway, with the return of Kagome-sosen a time of peace came to the region. Some demons were still active but they were quickly eliminated. It wasn't long before she became famous as a powerful priestess and many monks and priestesses came to her for training."

Souta was amazed. People actually wanted to learn something from his scatterbrained sister? She couldn't even remember to grab her lunch let alone tutor someone.

"This next part is where fact and legend become hazy." Kira looked as though she was struggling to recall what she had learned.

"There was peace in the area for about thirty years. It ended when a new demon arose. There are several different descriptions of the demon's appearance, but the one thing they all agreed upon was that this demon's power was like nothing ever seen. An all-out war was waged. The army that fought against the demon was lead by Kagome-sosen who was easily recognized as the most powerful priestess in all the land.

"The battle lasted for three days, many were slain by the demon. In the end even the great warrior Inuyasha fell. Torn by the loss of so many comrades Kagome-sosen took the sword Tetsaiga and designed a spell that would seal away the demon. The seal worked and the demon was locked away. But the power of the seal was greater than anyone had imagined. Not only had it locked away the demon they had been fighting, but all demonic energy within several days journey had also been locked away, to be forever contained within the sheath of the great sword."

Souta's hand's shook, fists clenched tight, as the news of Inuyasha's death sunk in. Inuyasha… the strongest person he had ever known. How could there be something even more powerful than him. Not only that, but that thing isn't even dead. It's sealed in the sword sitting two feet away from him!

Kira must have seen Souta's nervous glance at the sword because she quickly showed how the sutra was folded under the chain. "It won't just fall off."

This wasn't very reassuring.

Taking a deep breath Souta asked the question he had been avoiding. "You brought the sword here to talk to my sister. Were you coming to have her look at the seal?"

Gazing at the sword in her hand Kira nodded. "You saw my ears before… well , about a week ago the shrine where this sword was kept caught fire. My father ran in to recover the sword." Kira closed her eyes pushing away the memories of that night. "He got out more or less intact and handed me the sword. I'm guessing that's when the seal weakened releasing some of the demonic energy locked inside. I passed out and when I woke up I had changed." She flexed her muscles. "I'm strong enough to lift a car; that and the ears and the hair."

"My father said he would try to figure things out and I just had to hide my ears until then," Kira said pulling the brim of her hat down over her eyes. "But then, the night after the fire my father pulled me out of bed suddenly, he threw me this bag packed with clothing, money and a few other things to make the trip here. He said to find Kagome at Higorashi shrine, threw me a map and chased me out the door. I got news yesterday that the shrine is basically in ruins and my dad is in the hospital. Based on the pictures my friend sent me I would guess it was the same snake demon that's been chasing me all the way here."

Kira sighed. "I've grown up hearing the story of my great ancestress. I knew the legends of demons coming to break the seal on the sword. I just never thought it would happen. But when it did I knew I had to find Kagome. I was hoping that even though she had never seen it before she would know what to do to fix it."

"You don't think it's going to break do you?" Kira stared Souta straight in the face.

"I really don't know."

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1- sosen is the Japanese honorific for Ancestor.


	2. Attack! The Seal is Broken!

_**A/N:** Glad to see there's still some interest in this story. I hope my edits make this not completely horrid like it was before. I'll probably be really busy with school for the next few weeks so I don't know when the next chapter get to be edited. I actually should be doing homework rather than posting this but I had a really crappy day, thanks to a professor who wrote a test so long that even with the extra half hour he gave us, half the class still didn't finish. But yeah... sob sob... boohoo. AND WE'RE DONE! _

_Alright guys! Thanks for reading! Here's your next chapter! Leave reviews for faster updates!_

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**Chapter 2: Attack! The Seal is Broken!**

_Where am I? It's so dark here. _A voice floated through the darkness. _How long has this darkness consumed everything?_ He couldn't remember. It seemed like forever. He really couldn't even remember what it was like to not be in this darkness. _I miss my friends_. But even as he thought this he couldn't remember their faces. It had been like this for a while. Ever since he had been swallowed by that darkness, names… faces… he couldn't even remember his own.

In the end, he decided to rest again. There wasn't much else to do in this darkness. Before he could cut himself off from his senses he noticed something was different. It was slight. He could hardly tell what it was. It had been a long time since he had 'felt' anything. He couldn't be sure but the darkness almost felt warm. Opening his eyes he saw it very far away, a small point of light. He didn't even need to think about it. Careful to avoid stumbling, the kitsune[1] headed toward the warmth.

XXX

Kira sat on the roof of Higurashi shrine, staring at the Tetsaiga which she held up to the setting sun. She had come all this way for nothing. Without Kagome, there was no one who could repair the seal. Each time that snake had attacked her on the trip here she had been able to feel the seal weakening. With more demonic energy being leaked out her strength grew, but it also released many lesser demons into the world.

She had seen it on the news just that morning. A child had been abducted by what her frantic mom had described as a giant centipede. There had always been a few demons which had avoided the seal's power; but now those demons were becoming more active. They knew the seal was weakening. So what if Kagome wasn't here. Something still had to be done with the seal. She decided her best bet was to look through the shrine's documents and see if there were any clues.

Down below the door slid open. Mrs. Higurashi stepped out into the warm evening air. She turned and looked up at the roof where Kira was sitting and laughed.

"What's so funny"? Kira asked, jumping down two stories and landing easily next to Mrs. Higurashi.

"Oh it's nothing. It's just that when Kagome would come back home for more than a day I would often see Inuyasha sitting up there where you were. I know he's a distant ancestor but it's easy to see the family relation." Mrs. Higurashi stretched her arms up over her head and smiled, gazing into the sunset. When she noticed Kira's confused look she simply stated that she had been listening from the kitchen while she had been preparing dinner. "I just couldn't help myself. To hear that my Kagome became a powerful priestess… Well…" She closed her eyes and sighed. "I just worry about her is all."

Kira looked at the woman's expression and couldn't help but think of her dad. A week of fear and worry surged in her all at once. How could Kagome have been so strong? To willingly go to such a dangerous time, and fighting demons… Kira could feel the tears welling up, knowing she would never be like that, and turned her face away.

Mrs. Higurashi might have noticed the change in attitude, as she gave the girl a gentle pat on the head. "Well I'd better get back in to finish dinner," she said with a smile. She slid open the door and went inside.

Kira stared off into the distance. For all her life she had been told of the Great Priestess Kagome. It was strange to think that such a legendary figure had grown up and gone to high school during the same time Kira had been in primary school. And now she was told that even the hero Inuyasha acted confused and over-protecting. It was all seeming so unreal, and coming from a girl with dog ears growing out of her head that was saying something.

Around five minutes passed before the door slid open again. "Hey dinner's ready," Souta told her. As they were starting to head inside a loud crash sounded from the side of the shrine.

"Wait here I'll... Agh!" The Tetsaiga and its sheath were glowing. It felt like a hot iron and Kira quickly threw it to the ground. The snake demon from earlier charged out of the woods, headed straight for Tetsaiga.

Kira lunged to intercept the snake, knowing there was no way she could hold Tetsaiga. The snake lunged at her but she dodged and smashed its jaw with a powerful uppercut. She was best when she had a weapon in her hand but adding her new demon strength with a year of boxing training and even her sloppy moves were tough to beat.

The snake threw its head up, stunned and in pain. Not missing a beat Kira slammed into its middle knocking it back. The demon crashed into the large tree in front of the shrine. Kira jumped back and ran toward Souta and the sword, except Souta wasn't there. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to worry about him and took a defensive position between the demon and Tetsaiga. Hopefully he was telling his family to stay inside.

A wave of heat and energy struck her from behind. The chains around Tetsaiga were melting.

"Curse you! You filthy half breed! Once my brothers are released from their prison I will enjoy watching you suffer!" The demon shrieked. Another blast of energy erupted from Tetsaiga, knocking Kira off balance. The demon took advantage of this and lunged at her.

Right on time, Souta threw a sutra in between Kira and the snake. The sutra exploded with light throwing both of them back. Kira crashed through the wall of shed which contained the bone eater's well.

"KIRA!" Souta pulled more sutras out of his pocket. _Please let this work, _he thought and threw one at the Tetsaiga. Two feet away from the mighty sword, the sutra burned into ashes. A swirling wind now encircled the sword. "GET UP KIRA! I COULD USE SOME HELP HERE!" Of course this was a bit of an understatement as the demon snake had already recovered from the blast and was rearing up to full height.

"Foolish human it doesn't matter how much spiritual energy you have if you don't know how to use it. A costly mistake. Now you die!" and the demon lunged at Souta.

Time seemed to slow as a ghostly blue fire churned up around him and the snake.

"What... What is this? What are you doing human?!" The demon looked around franticly.

But Souta wasn't doing anything. _This is it. I'm dead. I'm burning alive in a demon's fire. I must be dead._ But the fire wasn't hot. In fact it felt comforting to him.

"I'm not sure what's going on," a voice emanated from the fire, "but I won't just sit by while a human is attacked." The fire swirled down into a 5 foot column between Souta and the attacker. A young man appeared standing in the middle of the whirlwind. His golden brown hair was tied back revealing pointed ears. He wore an old warrior's kimono with blue pants, and an aqua shirt with a tan vest. From behind Sota could see that this mysterious person had long sleek tan tail.

The young man turned his head to look at Souta. His green eyes shone with the fire that surrounded him. "You ok?" Souta nodded. "Good," he said. "Hang tight. This won't take long." Turning back to the snake the youth reached into his sleeve and pulled out a tiny hammer.

"What do you plan to do with that? " The demon stared nervously at the new comer.

The blue fire flared. "Well with how it is now, nothing." The young man smirked. In a puff of smoke the hammer grew larger than Souta's whole body. Jumping into the air the kitsune brought the hammer down hard onto the demon's head crushing it with a single blow. "But like this I can easily take out a weakling like you."

While the new guy was busy making his entrance, Kira managed to free herself from the broken wall and ran back to the Tetsaiga, praying that this person was a friend. She grabbed Souta by the back of his shirt.

"Sutras now! We need to seal this thing!" However before she even had time to turn back around another blast erupted from the sword. The chains shattered and the seal burst into flames. Tetsaiga was thrown out as a dark miasma erupted from the sheath heading straight for them.

The blue flames rose up creating a barrier in front of them. The miasma shirked to the left and flew off into the distance; within seconds it had vanished from sight completely.

Kira's heart was pounding as her mind tried to catch up with everything that had happened in only two short minutes. A low whistle came from behind her.

The kitsune sighed and walked over to where the sword had been thrown. "That was a close one. It looks like he's weak after just getting out of the seal. Inuaysha and Kagome should have no problem taking him on like that." The kitsune had Tetsaiga in hand turning it over and gazing at it, confusion and concern crossed his slender face. "This is Inuyasha's sword."

"Actually that's my sword," Kira announced. "Now who are you?"

The bright green eyes turned from the sword to gaze upon Kira. "My name is Shippo and this is definitely Inuyasha's sword, Tetsaiga."

XXX

Shippo looked around him for the first time since he had left that black void. The place was standing was the yard of what looked like a shrine. It was a bit run down and there were some other larger buildings nearby that seemed a bit out of place. The shed nearby had a gaping hole in the side from where the girl had smashed through, along with a weird aura surrounding it; but that wasn't half as weird as the ones around these two kids.

The human boy sat on the ground a few feet away. Poor thing looked like he was in shock from what had just happened. His dark eyes and hair reminded Shippo a lot of Kagome when they had first met. But what really resembled Kagome was the immense spiritual power emanating from him. Now it made sense why that odd-looking sutra had actually worked. However something told Shippo that the boy didn't even know he had that power. _Interesting…_ and then there was the girl.

She was about a head shorter than himself, a half-demon judging from her scent, which seemed extraordinarily familiar, but still different. He couldn't quite place it. Her amber eyes had a strong look to them, but also showed her youth and inexperience. She had fought decent enough against that snake but definitely needed more training.

Sheathing Tetsaiga, he turned to face them. "My name is Shippo. I am the youngest Seshuken[2] fox demon. I fight alongside the great priestess Kagome, and the hero Inuyasha to whom this sword belongs. You claim it is yours. Tell me how you came to poses it." _Inuyasha would never have let Tetsaiga be stolen but I've never seen these two before. _They didn't seem like thieves but he needed answers.

When no one started talking, Shippo sighed and said, "Ok fine. Then let's start with where am I and how long did that seal hold. We need to locate Kagome and let her know that it broke. If we hurry we should be able to…" The girl and boy exchanged a glance, "What?"

It was the boy who spoke first, "How do you know my sister?"

"Who's your sister?"

"Kagome. I'm her brother. Higurashi Souta." Souta said, getting to his feet. "You said you're Shippo? My sister told me about a fox demon who traveled with her and Inuyasha back in the feudal era. Are you that Shippo?"

"Huh..? Feudal era?" _What is he talking about?_ Shippo looked around him again. The courtyard of the shrine was completely paved with stone. Like nothing Shippo had ever seen. Panic flashed through him. In one swift leap he was on the top of the nearest tree.

It was late into the evening and the sun had almost completely set. But even in the dimming like he could still see that the world around him was completely foreign. Everything that wasn't a tree looked hard as stone. Dark black paths cut through the white stone. More of the strange buildings like the one next to the shrine were all around. And the number of humans he could scent on the wind was enormous.

The boy Souta had said he was Kagome's brother. But Kagome was from the world beyond the well. Inuyasha had told him about it a few times. Stone pathways, humans crowding together, iron carts larger than the one Kagome brought back with her. _You have got to be kidding me._ Was this really Kagome's world? If so, how was he supposed to get back to find her? Travel between the worlds had been impossible since the Sacred Jewel was destroyed.

After a few minutes, he jumped back down. Now there were two more humans, a woman and an elderly man. The kids were talking to them when he landed. His grip on Tetsaiga tightened as they stopped to stare at him.

The girl walked over to him and smiled. "Sorry we got off on the wrong foot. My name's Kira. We owe you a lot for helping us like you did. There's a lot to be explained so it's going to be a long night." She reached out to grab Tetsaiga but Shippo pulled back.

"If you think I'll just give you Inuyasha's sword you're crazy." Shippo glared at Kira, and Kira glared right back. Neither of them was willing to let the other hold onto the sword.

Souta jumped in before a fight could break out. "Kira! It's fine. He says he knows my sister and I believe him." If the two of them fought, Souta would have to side with Kira, and he had the sneaking suspicion that if that they would lose.

"It's faint but Kagome's scent is still there." Shippo sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I suppose you must be her brother." He handed the sword back to Kira. "Alright then, let's talk."

XXX

Kira had expected to explain everything about the sword, she just hadn't thought she'd have to do it twice. Even more irritating than that was the fact that this demon, Shippo, kept laughing while she was talking. It felt like he was mocking everything she was saying. Though when she got up to the part about Tetsaiga and the demon sealed into it Shippo grew tense. She avoided mentioning the death of Inuyasha, at Souta's request, and simply said Inuyasha gave up his sword for the seal. When she had finished Shippo sat lost in thought.

It was a few minutes before anyone did or said anything. Finally Shippo leaned back.

"I traveled with Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku the whole time they were chasing after Naraku. Always thought he would be the strongest opponent any of us would ever have to face." He looked up at the ceiling, blocking the light with his hand. "Naraku was a sadistic bastard. He manipulated people to make them hurt each other. He made Kikyo seal Inuyasha to a tree because they were in love. He made Sango's brother kill his family and then used him against us time and time again.

"Naraku's only goal was to taint the sacred jewel, turning it black and evil. He wanted the jewels power to turn himself into a pure demon and for more power… I guess… if I had to say one thing for him… He liked to play with his food. Giving us time to defeat him." Shippo looked like he was fighting the urge to punch a hole in the wall when he spoke next. "Gomera was totally different."

Kira's ears perked. She now had a name for the monster of legends. Gomera.

Souta laughed. "Wait... Gomera, you mean like the kid's show?[3]"

Both Shippo and Kira looked confused. "Kid's show?" they both asked.

"Yeah," Souta went and picked up the TV Guide which had a picture of Gomera on the front. He showed it to the two of them pointing at the giant lizard monster. "That's Gomera."

Kira shook her head. "I never really watched TV."

Shippo also shook his head, "I guess it's just the name that's similar that looks nothing like the monster we fought." He took the TV guide from Sota, curious. "But wow this is like the books that Kagome was always carrying back and forth. Do you study this for a test also?"

Kira raised an eyebrow, "Test? That's just to tell you what's on TV at what time. Oh but I guess you don't know what a TV is either do you? Maybe we should save that for later," she said while she and Souta exchanged glances. Shippo just shrugged not really sure why they were smiling.

"Well anyway. That guy is weak right now from being sealed for so long, he couldn't absorb more power. It will take him a while to get back even a fraction of his strength."

"But we have no way of contacting my sister. Can you defeat him by yourself?" Souta wished now more than ever that he could travel through the well to feudal Japan.

Shippo gave them a skeptical look, "Why do I have to defeat him alone? You two are here. Don't you plan to help?"

The two looked at one another. "Well yes," Kira started to say, "but…"

"But what? If it's just about you two not being very strong that's an easy fix. Kira you said you're Inuyasha's descendent so you should be able to use the Tetsaiga. I can help you train with that." He picked up the sword from the table top and tossed it to her. "As for you Sota, highly doubt that it was only those weird sutras working during that fight. Honestly, I'm surprised Kagome never noticed it, but you got almost as much spiritual power as her daughter Keiko did at your age." Shippo pet Buyo, the Higorashi's cat, who had just wandered over. "Not as much as Kagome herself of course. But it's nothing to sneeze at."

"Whoa wait, Kira I understand but how do I have powers?" This had to be a joke. If he had spiritual powers how come he couldn't do anything to help Kagome the time the Noh Mask[4] had attacked them?

Shippo just shrugged his attention still on the cat. "You're family runs a shrine. It must be in your bloodline somewhere."

Souta was about to protest that there was no way he could have spiritual powers but his mom walked in and broke up the 'party' telling them it was time to go to bed. Even Shippo was unable to argue with the worried mother. So grudgingly they all headed upstairs for the night.

* * *

[1] Kitsune is a Fox Demon, known for their fox magic which were mostly illusions. They often played tricks on humans in Japanese legend.

[2] Seshuken (選手権)means top rank. In the original series Shippo took part in an exam for fox demons. Others taking the exam said it took 100 years to reach top rank.

[3] Gomera is a Japanese children's show in the manga Detective Conan. Gomera is a monster like Godzilla, however he acts as a hero fighting bad guys and protecting children. I couldn't think of anything else to name the demon.

[4] a Noh Mask (flesh eating mask) with a shard of the Sacred Jewel embedded in it attacks Kagome and Sota in chapter 11 (episode 23) of the original series. It was defeated by Inuyasha.

* * *

_**A/N2: **So yeah, there probably won't be too many more of these footnotes. It just depends on when I make a reference back to the series, or a Japanese word or phrase that the people who watched Dubs wouldn't know. I watch a lot of subs, and am learning the language, so adding those romanji phrases is becoming habit for me. Sorry if it gets annoying. _

**_Ps. To flumf8188 - Yes, Kira is a direct descendent of Inuyasha and Kagome. Not to give spoilers but when the seal was used, it also sealed away the demon blood of Inuyasha's children. So out of his kids that I've just dreamed up for this story, two inherited their father's demon blood while one (Keiko) was fully human. With the seal, those two who had the demon blood, turned human and lost all use of it. However it was still in their genes, and was passed down through the generations leading to Kira's mother, and then to Kira._**


	3. Training Begins!

_**A/N: **Hey guys! Thanks for the support that this has been getting. I'm glad to hear that people are interested. I'm sorry that even my rewrites are taking forever. I've got some major writer's block mostly due to all the research papers and lab reports that have been due in my classes. Serious stress... UGH! _

_Anyway I'll try to get new chapters out so here you go for chapter 3. Reviews give me motivation and make me go faster, though with the semester the way it is, that's not much of a guarantee. ;~; Sorry..._

* * *

**Chapter 3: Training Begins – Souta's Shows His Determination**

Shippo didn't know it but it was around 5am when he woke up. Mama Higorashi had shown him to the guest room and Kira to Kagome's old room. The beds were strange and soft. He felt like he was sinking into a cloud and it made him uneasy, so he decided to get up and head downstairs. He looked through the book they called a TV Guide for a bit, but got bored and went outside.

He leapt to the top of that tree again, thinking that it looked similar to the tree Inuyasha had been sealed to by Kikyo. The sun was just beginning to lighten the horizon as Shippo looked around into the distance. This world was so different. Inuyasha had told him stories of Kagome's world but what he saw before him was like nothing he had ever imagined. Everything was cold and stone. Smooth like the floor of a cave. No cracks or breaks like the stone flooring of any temple he had ever seen before. Giant iron carts sat along black stone roads. In the growing light he could see that the moving ones had humans inside of them.

There was no way back to his time, he had to accept that. But would he ever be able to adjust to this strange new world? _Even if I can't, I'm here now and I'm alive and strong. It's my responsibility to protect this world._ But even protecting it would be difficult.

Kira and Souta hadn't really seemed to understand what he said about their powers. He told them he could help them train but in reality he wasn't sure how much he could do. He had trained with Inuyasha plenty of times and Inuyasha had explained what sensing the Windscar was like, but Shippo had never actually felt it himself. The best he could do for Kira was tell her the same things and hope that Inuyasha's blood in her would do the rest.

Souta's training wouldn't present any problem. Shippo had often acted as the stand-in demon for helping young priestesses who were training with Kagome. He knew what it was like to feel holy power fighting to destroy his demonic blood. Of course he had never worked with anyone at Souta's age because they could usually do some decent damage. And Souta definitely had enough spiritual energy to do damage.

"Well since I can't be the practice dummy," Shippo said thoughtfully, "I'll have to figure out what can."

XXX

"RISE AND SHINE!"

Kira bolted out of bed her spare bokuto[6] in hand ready for a fight. When she saw it was Shippo that had yelled she was tempted to throw the sword at him. Seeing that the clock said 6am made her further consider throwing it. Sota must've been woken in a similar manner because he was already dressed and standing behind Shippo, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Come on get up! It's time to start training." Shippo walked off dragging the half conscience Souta by his shirt.

Kira sighed, "Guess I have no choice." So she stumbled out of bed to prepare for the day.

XXX

It had been a rude awakening that morning and Souta wasn't in the best mood. Shippo had said the night before that he had spiritual powers but Souta was certain that there was a mistake. The talismans he had pulled out of the shed had been kept for generations (or at least that's what his grandpa said). It was those that pushed the demons back, not any special power he had. And he was determined to prove it.

Sure Inuyasha was cool, but demons were the reason his sister had been forced into so much danger. They were also the reason he would never get to see her again. And here was Shippo acting as if he knew Kagome better than her own family.

The snake corpse was gone when Souta got outside; instead, a little ways away, there was a bag that seemed to be leaking blood. _Well I guess we know where it went. Now the question is why is it still here? _He couldn't see where Shippo had gone so he just sat down on the bench next to the sacred tree.

Kira came stumbling out the door a few minutes later, carrying her bokuto and Tetsaiga. She looked as happy to be awake as Sota felt.

"Oh good you're both here." Shippo said coming around the side of the house with another bloody bag. He either didn't notice or completely ignored the daggers in their eyes. "Ok so here's the plan. First thing we gotta do is dispose of yesterday's mess. I cut it up into smaller chunks so it would be easier to exorcise. Kira will practice sensing the windscar with one of these bags while Souta and I get to work clearing the remaining miasma."

More or less on cue, Kira unsheathed the Tetsaiga. It was small and rusted looking. _What a piece of junk. There's no way that's the same sword._ Souta thought as he watched Kira walk over to the bag Shippo had set out for her. He could smell the stuff from so far away; he didn't want to have to smell it up close.

For a while, he was spared that fate as he watched Shippo talk to Kira.

XXX

Ever since the demonic blood in her had awakened, all her senses had become enhanced. While avoiding other demons this had been a blessing, but right now the stench of that rotting flesh was making her light headed. When Shippo said she would be practicing on them she wanted to hurl, but she gave no argument and just tried to breathe through her mouth. This didn't help much once she got closer.

Tetsaiga felt balanced in her grip. Back before it had become a rusted piece of crap it must have been an amazing sword, forged by a master. But now it looked as if any amount of force would break it in two. Even if this sword had once belonged to a powerful demon, there's no way it would be of any use now. She'd be better off getting a new human made sword.

She was glad for the lack of breakfast when Shippo reached into the bag and pulled out a particularly drippy-looking chunk of meat.

"Ok now here's the thing." Shippo said, turning around to face her. "I can tell you what the Windscar is but that won't do you any good if you can't even reveal Tetsaiga's true form. I've got a couple ideas how to make that happen but you probably aren't going to like them." With meat juice dripping from his claws, Kira had no doubt she wouldn't like his ideas.

"So what are these ideas?" Kira asked nervously.

"Well the first…" Shippo trailed off staring off at something behind Kira.

Curious, she turned around. Souta was half asleep on the bench and some birds had landed nearby, but other than that nothing was interesting behind her. She turned back around and her reflexes quickly took over to parry the object that had been flying straight towards her head. Meat juice squelched all over her as the dull sword made contact with the flying chunk. It was all Kira could do just to keep from throwing up.

"Well that didn't work." Shippo was rummaging through the bag again for another hunk of meat.

"YAH THINK! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?" _How the hell does he expect me to transform the sword if he hasn't told me anything about it? And how can he even stand to touch that nasty stuff? _ Kira thought to herself still fighting the nausea.

"Oh excuse me. I didn't realize that you were such a little princess that you couldn't dodge something as small as that. You're the idiot that let it splash all over you."

_What the hell! Is he serious? He's the one that was so eager to train us!_ She fought with herself to stay calm.

Shippo just smirked; the meat juice wasn't the only thing showing all over Kira's face. "With how weak you are," he said laughing, "you couldn't even beat a baby demon. I bet when I was a bottom level kitsune I still could've beaten you." Scratching his head he changed his mind, "actually, you probably would have run away before a fight even began."

_WHAT!? THAT JERK!_ Kira was trying to stay calm but it was a battle she knew she was losing.

She saw Shippo glance over at Souta. "In fact, I don't think you can protect anyone." His arm wound up like the pitcher of a baseball team then sent the slab of meat flying, much faster than the first time, straight at Souta who was now asleep on the bench.

Time seemed to slow as fury exploded out of Kira. Later on she'd never be able to say what she was thinking at the time. She only knew she had been dead set against letting Shippo have another laugh at her. She felt zero resistance as the sword sliced cleanly through the slice of meat sending the newly cut chunks rocketing off to the sides of their sleeping victim.

A pulse came out from Tetsaiga. Blinking, Kira saw the sword she was holding was massive; over half the length of her body, and yet it felt as light as a feather, perfectly balanced in her hand. The most amazing and terrifying power pulsed in the sword. She couldn't stop staring at it.

"Well Miyoga did say that it had to be used in protection of humans. I guess he was right." Shippo walked over gazing fondly at the sword.

"So wait! You were purposely making me mad!?" She was mad before, but now she just felt stupid for falling for it.

Shippo gave a devilish smirk. "You made it a little too easy you know. A good warrior should have control over his or her emotions."

"Uhh… hey guys… a little help?" They turned to face Sota who was trapped between a bench with a broken leg and the fence behind it. The slab of meat had obliterated the side of the bench knocking the poor kid over.

Kira laughed as she ran to help him out. This training might not be so bad after all.

XXX

This was the second rude awakening he'd had that morning. There weren't many ways to improve his mood, and Kira showing off the fully transformed Tetsaiga certainly wasn't one of them.

"Isn't this amazing Souta!? I mean who would've thought a sword could have power of its own!?" Kira kept rambling in amazement for a while, though Sota hardly heard a word of it. He had seen Inuyasha wield Tetsaiga before, and he definitely remembered Inuyasha being a lot cooler about it.

He grimaced in pain when Shippo walked over and gave him an apologetic, yet rather hard, slap on the back.

"Sorry about that. I had my fox fire ready to block the slab incase Kira missed but I didn't think about where the chunks would go if she managed to block it." Souta just glared as he watched Shippo recall his fox fire from around the bench.

_I'm in hell with two demon meatheads that don't think before they act._ Souta knew the thought was a lie, but for the moment he didn't care to correct himself.

Shippo came back from moving the broken bench out of the way. Turning to Kira he said, "Ok now just pull out a chunk of that demon and close your eyes and concentrate on hearing and smell. The windscar is where two demon auras collide. Listen for the scraping of the winds. If you sense it just let me know. Don't try to cut through it around here."

When Shippo turned his back on her Souta almost laughed at the look of horror Kira had. Evidently she didn't like the idea of paying attention to the smell. Shippo was now staring right at him.

Souta started to speak but Shippo raised a hand, cutting him off. "I already know what you're going to say."

_I doubt it,_ Souta thought.

"You think I'm wrong about you having spiritual powers and it's just those old sutras you used. Am I correct?" He was dead on.

Shippo sent Souta to get more sutras from the shed. Handing them over Souta watched as Shippo examined them then easily burned them up with his fox fire.

"Now if that had been a sutra with even a little spiritual power contained in it, I wouldn't have been able to do that." Shippo explained, "a sutra will contain spiritual power if the one that writes it has even the smallest spiritual abilities. Clearly whoever wrote these had none."

Unbeknownst to them, Grandpa Higorashi sneezed.[7]

"So the only way a failed sutra could work is if the one who uses it puts the necessary energy into it." Souta did not like where this was going. "I'll show you how to write a proper talisman and then you and I have to work on dispersing the miasma."

"Ok first off," Souta protested, "What miasma? You keep saying that but I don't even really know what it means." Shippo gave him an 'I can't believe you don't know something this simple' look which only ticked Souta off more.

Shippo sighed and scratched his head, "You've at least noticed a gloomy atmosphere out here right?" he said.

Surprised at the question Souta momentarily forgot his annoyance and looked around him. The sun was now up over the horizon casting its warm rays as far as the eye could see. It was spring and a comfortable temperature. On a hill not far off the sakura trees were in full bloom. _He describes this as gloomy?_

It was then that Souta noticed the chill in the air behind him. Turning around he knew exactly where it was coming from. _Why didn't I notice this before?_ _Because you were determined to avoid it, stupid._ He thought back to himself felling as stupid as ever.

Shippo put his hand on Souta's shoulder when the kid started to shake. "It's ok, relax. It feels bad now but we're going to take care of that."

Souta grimaced, "Why am I only sensing it now?" he asked the concerned kitsune.

"It takes training to be constantly aware of demonic aura locations. The fact that you sense it at all just proves my point that you do have spiritual powers."

Souta rolled his eyes, he knew now that Shippo was right but he wasn't planning to say so. "Ok so what do we do now?"

"Now we… Kira pay attention to what you're doing." Kira jumped and turned back to her bag when she got called out. "You need to concentrate," Shippo yelled to her. He then turned back to Souta, "We need new better sutras. These things you have don't really even say anything." He pulled a sutra out of his sleeve pocket. "This is a special one that I use with my fox magic. It is for hiding ones presence. Mixing it with my fox magic I can make things invisible for a short amount of time." He laughed at Souta's confused look. "For you this would make people unable to sense your presence but they could still see you." Shippo raised the sutra and a leaf up to his head, "But for me…" he said and then vanished from sight.

Souta stood there stupidly not sure what to do when Kira screamed as Shippo popped up out of nowhere right in front of her. Shippo must have explained some things to Kira because she merely punched his arm and turned back to her sac of meat.

"Mixed with my fox magic it hides my body but only makes my presence less noticeable," Shippo said as he walked back over. "But you would only sense me if you knew to look for me."

Looking at the sutra, "So is this what we're going to use to seal that?" Souta asked.

Shippo laughed, "Iye iye[8]. This would only hide it from notice. I'll show you how to write one to dispel the aura. I can't actually write one since demonic powers would have an opposite effect. Now," he said clasping his hands together, "let's get to work"

XXX

Shippo was really glad he had asked Kagome to teach him how to make sutras. She had been insistent that it wouldn't do him any good to know since his demonic powers would only make other demonic powers stronger. He had only convinced her by saying it would still be effective for making his invisibility sutras.

Step one was getting paper strips. This wasn't hard. The old man, Souta's and Kagome's grandfather, had plenty of strips cut because for some reason he thought he was a priest.

Step two would be harder. They needed blessed water. The old man said there was some in the shed but as they were searching for it, Shippo wasn't really sensing any holy energy. His suspicions were confirmed when they pulled out a jar labeled holy water which didn't even so much as shock him when he stuck his finger in it.

Shippo stood up and stretched. "Looks like we'll have to make some, unless you know of another shrine nearby." Souta looked confused so he explained. "Well it would be easier to ask someone else for now. It takes practice to get it good enough for use on sutras."

Souta put the jar back where he'd found it. "There are a few shrines nearby but nowadays shrines are mostly just tourist attractions. The closest one that still has a full time shrine keeper is Hojiki shrine. It's about a 30 minute walk away." He pointed northeast as they left the shed.

"Hmm… Ok. It's worth a shot. I'll hide what we have here for now then we'll head over there and see what we can find." His own sutra would work for up to 3 hours if he put enough energy into it. "Kira!" She turned when she heard her name. "I'm going to seal up all of this and then we're going to another shrine to get some supplies. I don't feel comfortable leaving this out while I'm not around so I'll seal both bags and you can come with us." Kira agreed and Shippo went to work moving the bags and retrieving the chunks he had thrown.

* * *

6 Bokuto (木刀) – A wooden Japanese training sword.

7 Old Japanese myth: It is said that when you sneeze it means someone is talking about you.

8 Iya means No. Iye is no with a sloppy pronunciation often used casually.


	4. Hojiki Shrine

**_A/N: _**_Hey guys! Thanks for all the interest in this story. Sorry the rewrite for this chapter took so long. I finished my school semester about a week and a half ago and was busy with an anime con all weekend. I hope people will still read this. I'm really glad to have more time to write. _

_Leave opinions and comments please! What do you think of the characters and plotline? Is there anything you don't understand?_

_Okay, on to the chapter! Love you guys!_

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Hojiki Shrine**

_"__This is going to be an interesting trip,"_ was Souta's first thought as they tried to figure out what to do with Shippo. His clothes alone would attract enough unneeded attention. Add in the pointed ears, furry feet and tail and it was a recipe for disaster.

It took a while but Kira finally talked Shippo into jeans and a T-shirt that used to belong to Mr. Higorashi before he passed away. They had to cut a hole in the shorts for Shippo's tail. The hardest part was getting him redressed since he had told them he wouldn't have enough energy for a full transformation as well as hiding the demon's remains.

It was pretty funny seeing this powerful demon looking so flustered. Inuyasha had always refused to wear anything more than a baseball cap and he didn't even have to worry about a tail.

"Is this really the only way?" Shippo complained. He felt practically naked wearing this modern clothing. The shirt was a single thin layer of easily torn fabric, and the pants were some rough hard material which rubbed at the base of his tail. _I'll be surprised if I don't have a bald spot there after this is over._

He raised his leaf to his head and in a puff of smoke he put up his illusion. Rounded ears and hiding his tail to look like a human was easy. Hiding his feet was more annoying because he had to imitate the shoes he saw Souta wearing rather than the simple straw sandals he was used to.

"You said yourself you didn't have energy for a full illusion. Your normal clothing would only attract unwanted attention." Shippo knew she was right but the way she was hiding her mouth behind her hand showed she was trying not to laugh.

He squinted at the mirror. To anyone without fox magic he now looked like a normal human teenager. _Well at least my skills haven't diminished from being trapped in the seal, _Shippo thought. He shoved a few of his weapons and tools into the pockets of the pants. _Even if I look like a human doesn't mean I am one. I can't let myself get comfortable._

"Wow. Other than the long hair you look like a normal human," Souta said upon his return to the room. "I let mom and grandpa know where the bags were so they'll avoid them."

"We're ready to," Kira nodded giving Shippo one last look over. She put her cap on then practically pushed Shippo out the door.

XXX

_It's like he's 5…_ Kira had to once again drag Shippo away from some new thing that fascinated him. It was a really good thing they had him change cloths. He was attracting enough attention just from his behavior.

The first stupid thing he had done was walk out into the middle of the street and jump 10 meters in the air when a car nearly ran him over. They barely stopped him from attacking the car thinking it was a demon.

Later he had bumped into some yakuza[1] guy who started threatening him. When the guy thought that Shippo was being disrespectful he stupidly threw a punch at him. Shippo easily dodged it and flicked the man in the forehead sending him flying backwards into a nearby shop wall. This one they had to grab him and run before the police came.

"Look, I'm sorry ok? But he did throw the first punch…Not that it actually would have hit." Shippo said trying to appeal to Kira. She had her own issues today. The wind was blowing hard today and it kept threatening to take her hat off. The last thing she wanted was to have her ears seen while dragging Shippo's but out of some mess.

"Kira try and calm down." Souta was more nervous than annoyed.

"CALM DOWN!? THE MAN'S HEAD CRACKED A CONCRETE WALL! HE'S PROBABLY DEAD AND WE'RE ACCOMPLICES IN A MURDER!" She had been freaking out since they had left the scene.

Shippo folded his arms behind his head. "He's not dead. There was more force from the displacement of the air behind him than his actual impact. That's what broke the wall." To him it was no big deal, but to Kira this was a huge deal.

"You don't think before you act!" Kira yelled.

"Jeeze," Shippo huffed. "There's no pleasing you. I didn't know about the iron carts at the street and the guy attacked me first. I made sure I didn't kill him just knocked him out. What more do you want from me?"

Kira was about to tell him exactly what she wanted when Souta interrupted, "The shrine is about a block away from here. Maybe we should figure out how to explain our need for holy water?"

Kira let herself be distracted, "Shoot. I hadn't thought of that. We could say there's a demon we need to exorcise, but I suppose they would want preform it themselves." Kira thought for a bit.

"How about we say the shrine wants to bless a new area we build but we ran out and it will take some time to make new stuff?" Souta suggested. Kira thought this was a good idea but Shippo was shaking his head. The two teens continued making suggestions which Shippo would point out problems with.

"Let's first just see if they even have any," he said, as they reached the stairs to the shrine. Kira and Souta followed him up the steps.

When they reached the main grounds of the shrine a rush of air blew past Shippo. He barely had time to dodge as a second arrow shot at him from the shade of a nearby tree. Leaping at the attacker he broke the bow with a swift slash of his hand, but just as fast as he broke it, the attacker discarded it and pulled out a sword.

Shippo dodged several well aimed attacks. This person was obviously skilled; too bad he was their opponent. When he saw his opening he parried the blade and slammed his shoulder into the attacker's torso. He broke their grip on the blade and pinned him to the ground. All of this happened in less than a minute.

Kira and Sota had hardly even had time to realize they were under attack before Shippo put an end to it. From the corner of his eye, Shippo saw them come up next to him.

The attacker's body was small but muscular. _Oh great it's a girl._ Shippo thought to himself. He could easily tell from the shape of her body even though her hair was short as a boy's.

"Curse you demon! Release me!" she yelled, kicking her legs to try and break his grip.

_Yeah it's a girl._ Reasoning with a girl was always harder than reasoning with a guy. He remembered back when they tried to explain to Sango why Inuyasha was innocent and the Prince from the castle was Naraku[2]; Girls just didn't like to listen when they were set on attacking.

Still holding her, he spoke in as calm a voice as he could while still talking over her curses, "Look calm down, I'm not here to hurt anyone. See I've got some humans with me. We just came to ask your shrine for help. "

"Why should I believe a demon!?" Her struggles lessened under Shippo's weight.

"Because I won't let you up until you do." This got the girl to stop struggling but she still wasn't ready to listen.

Souta knelt down beside them. "We're just looking for some holy water. Can you help us?." She looked up at him then gave a reluctant sigh and nodded.

_Humans… They listen to each other but assume a demon is evil._ Shippo sighed inwardly and released the girl from his grip. She sat up and massaged the arm he had twisted. "I wouldn't try attacking again if I were you. You had surprise on your side before. With that gone it would end that much faster." The girl only glared at him. "Though I will say one thing for you, you're certainly good at sensing demons. My powers are more or less impossible to notice while I'm taking on another form."

"I was able to sense your power from a mile away. I may not have spiritual powers but my awareness is better than anyone."

"I'll keep that in mind." Shippo raised his hand and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kira and Souta watched the cloud dissipate. "He just ditched us didn't he?" Kira only half asked, knowing the answer.

Yup, Shippo had definitely just ditched them. He had told them earlier that it was normal for humans to distrust demons. They had tried to convince him that times were different and that now humans hardly even believed demons existed. As Souta watched that puff of smoke disperse he realized just how much of a sore spot this was for Shippo. _Well he's an adult he'll get over it. _They couldn't afford to forget why they came here.

"So…" Souta started as he offered a hand to help up the girl. "We came here for blessed water. Can you help us?" As he waited to help her up he took a better look at her. Her brown hair was pulled back into a high braid that was wrapped up in a bun. Her skin was tanned and her eyes were a very dark brown.

She raised an eyebrow and accepted his hand. Being pulled to her feet she said, "Well I'd like to know why you want it first, and why you're with a demon."

"We'd be glad to explain but we're on a bit of a time constraint. If you could give us some we can explain while we go back to my family's shrine," thinking about it he added, "actually if you have any sutras for dispersing a demon miasma that would be even bigger help."

This got the girls attention. "You guys aren't just normal humans are you?" Souta and Kira exchanged a glance. "Well," the girl continued, "I suppose I can help out we'll grab a few things then you can explain on the way. Oi! Demon! Did you hear that?!"

A rush of wind and Shippo was standing next to Kira again. "Loud and clear." He smiled as the small whirlwind dissipated from around him. "Now if we're going to be civil enough," He said looking straight at the girl. "My name is Shippo, the boy is Souta and the girl is Kira. Can we know your name?"

"Haha," she laughed, "Such a straight to the point attitude. Maybe I misjudged you." Turning around she indicated for them to follow. "My name is Hojiki Ayumi. If I had lived in the past I would have been known as a great demon slayer."

* * *

[1] Yakuza is the Japanese mob, like the Italian Mafia

[2] Naraku tricked Sango into believing that Inuyasha had caused Kohaku to attack and kill his family.


End file.
